$21 sandblast booth

Unknown

I was getting ready to sandblast my front cap parts, and realized the last thing I need in my shop, is sand dust, since I'm painting the other parts. So, I ran down to "Wally World" and bought a "2 child" tent for $21. This ought to work fine. I can vacuum the media,after I'm through, and reuse, plus, no dust in the shop.

SuperDave

Amazing! Great Idea!

RL Chilton

Wes-



That's very inventive! Wonder if they make one big enough for my shell . . .:D

rambos_ride

Wes,

I've used this method before so I don't want to sound pretentious, but for the benefit of others education...I gotta ask - What kind of respirator are you using?

Silica sand is extremely dangerous to use in a ANY confined area without proper respiratory protection.

A Dust Mask is a complete NO-NO regardless of the media used.

A half mask respirator even properly fitted is not a good option IMHO

A full-face properly fitted respirator with charcoal cannisters and pre-filters works - until the pre-filters need to be changed..

The best protection when sandblasting with any media is a fresh-air supply style - with a full hood - this is what they use at the big shops.

Unknown

rambos_ride wrote:

Wes,



I've used this method before so I don't want to sound pretentious, but for the benefit of others education...I gotta ask - What kind of respirator are you using?



Silica sand is extremely dangerous to use in a ANY confined area without proper respiratory protection.



A Dust Mask is a complete NO-NO regardless of the media used.



A half mask respirator even properly fitted is not a good option IMHO



A full-face properly fitted respirator with charcoal cannisters and pre-filters works - until the pre-filters need to be changed..



The best protection when sandblasting with any media is a fresh-air supply style - with a full hood - this is what they use at the big shops.

I'm using the same respirator that I paint with, Filter/Charcoal combo.. Even when I'm painting, I pack more cotton gauze into the filters. And, I don't use sand silica. Instead, I use Northern Tools "BLACK Diamond" media. It's silica free, very agressive, and creates very little dust.

rambos_ride

wkitchens wrote:

I'm using the same respirator that I paint with, Filter/Charcoal combo.. Even when I'm painting, I pack more cotton gauze into the filters. And, I don't use sand silica. Instead, I use Northern Tools "BLACK Diamond" media. It's silica free, very agressive, and creates very little dust.

Thanks Wes!

I only responded with warning because I think there's a lot of NOOBs out there that may not really be aware of the differences in the media and just wanted to draw peoples attention to it!

Unknown

rambos_ride wrote:

Thanks Wes!



I only responded with warning because I think there's a lot of NOOBs out there that may not really be aware of the differences in the media and just wanted to draw peoples attention to it!

Glad you did! I'd hate to be responsible for someone developing lung problems. just because I "ASSUMED" they knew better. And we all know the saying about ASSUME!



You may have just saved someone's life! :>)

RL Chilton

Well, damn . . . I just set up my pup tent in the Living Room, too . . . now I'm gonna have move it:D

Unknown

I love it when a simple idea works. I put a dropcloth under where I'm blasting, so I won't accidently blow a hole in the floor, and I put a piece of carpet to sit/stand on, so me moving around with blasting media under me won't wear a hole in the floor. I was doing pretty well, till the temp got to about 85. With all the safety garb on, it got HOT, even though I had a fan blowing in on me. I only have a few more pieces to go anyway, which will become "Morning" projects, because tomorrow it's suppose to hit 90.



I have this kids tent, under the tent I store my boat under. If it were out in direct sun, it would have been too hot earlier in the day. Anyway, as least I'm not getting sand-dust all in my shop!



OH! And forget about the expensive, pressurized sandblasters. I bought one a while back, and it worked great , for about 30 minutes. In that 30 minutes, I went through 4 nozzles, till I got disgusted, and made a nozzle of my own. That worked fine, till the "L" fitting at the base of the tank, developed a "pin-hole" in it. The "L" fitting wore out, FROM THE INSIDE! It's made, of all things, aluminum! They said they didn't stock this part, and that they would order one for me. (Northern Tool) I just got my money back, and bought the "cheap", $20 gun that you put the hose in a bucket, and draw out the media. No telling how many pieces I've blasted, and have yet to have a problem with it.

rambos_ride

wkitchens wrote:

I love it when a simple idea works. I put a dropcloth under where I'm blasting, so I won't accidently blow a hole in the floor, and I put a piece of carpet to sit/stand on, so me moving around with blasting media under me won't wear a hole in the floor. I was doing pretty well, till the temp got to about 85. With all the safety garb on, it got HOT, even though I had a fan blowing in on me. I only have a few more pieces to go anyway, which will become "Morning" projects, because tomorrow it's suppose to hit 90.

I have this kids tent, under the tent I store my boat under. If it were out in direct sun, it would have been too hot earlier in the day. Anyway, as least I'm not getting sand-dust all in my shop!

OH! And forget about the expensive, pressurized sandblasters. I bought one a while back, and it worked great , for about 30 minutes. In that 30 minutes, I went through 4 nozzles, till I got disgusted, and made a nozzle of my own. That worked fine, till the "L" fitting at the base of the tank, developed a "pin-hole" in it. The "L" fitting wore out, FROM THE INSIDE! It's made, of all things, aluminum! They said they didn't stock this part, and that they would order one for me. (Northern Tool) I just got my money back, and bought the "cheap", $20 gun that you put the hose in a bucket, and draw out the media. No telling how many pieces I've blasted, and have yet to have a problem with it.

LOL - I've had the exact same experience before!

I had bought a pressurized unit from HF - 130.00 if I recall correctly.

Worked good for about 5 minutes and then started giving me grief.

I too, opted back to my old standby siphon feed that I bought some 30 years ago...worked fine.

I've got to admit though - after a couple of sweat-box sessions like you described, I gave up and loaded everything I wanted done into the truck and hauled to a professional!

Now, there's no one close-by so if it doesn't fit in my bead blast cabinet - I'll try the TPI pressurized blaster I got when I bought my compressor.

This is a professional unit - not the cheapy I bought at HF, so I don't anticipate having the same issues..

Wes, the only thing I'd do - IS get a BIGGER tent!

Unknown

I actually found a picture of that piece- of-.....................junk ...........sandblaster I had, before I actually used it. I like my little tent, better than the one I made in my shop. When I'm done with this tent, I can fold it up, and it comes in a carrying case, about the size of an umbrella that's folded up. Much more easy to store, then a whole bunch of sand-infused plastic.

Unknown

Man! I'd sure love to have one of those!

rambos_ride

wkitchens wrote:

Man! I'd sure love to have one of those!

Wes - you're an industrious kinda guy - If I had to do it again - I'd buy one of these kits and build my own for 2/3 rd the cost.

http://www.tptools.com/p/335,142_Build-Your-Own-Cabinet-Foot-Pedal-Operated-System.html

BTW - Looks like the TP Tools cabinet...They have great prices on cosumables, tips, gloves etc...

Unknown

The problem around here is "WHERE WOULD I PUT IT !!!. 6 cars, 1boat, 1semi, pool, full 24X24 shop...........all on a little 150ft X150ft property. I moved my Vette to a Museum, so I could move the boat where the Avalanche was, so I could use the tent the boat was under as a dissassembly/holding spot. My wife would probably have a fit, if I even tried to bring a Moped home. When the daughters are finished with college, that'll be 2 cars gone. When I finish my '48, the Vette will be sold. And I may get rid of my Avalanche, and just have 2 cars. (Hudson and Wife's)



I told my wife that was the gameplan, but she said," No it's not, you'll just go out and buy other stuff". I told her, "At least you don't have to worry about me parking a plane here!"

[Deleted User]

Hey Wes, Have you seen that P-51 Mustang 2/3 scale that has folding wings and will fit in a standard garage? LOL?
Bob

[Deleted User]

Nice thing about Ricks cabinet is its so big if friends come over you can use it as a tent LOL

Unknown

BJ__TN wrote:

Hey Wes, Have you seen that P-51 Mustang 2/3 scale that has folding wings and will fit in a standard garage? LOL?

Bob

Thanks BJ. It just so happens I'm fixing to start taking lessons to get my Pilot's License. I'll mention that to my wife, I'm sure she won't mind parking her car on the street! I'll explain that if we do that, we'll save money by not having to rent a hangar, and I'll make sure to tell her that you are the one that informed me about it! (ha)

duncan

When I do sand blasting instead of buying the sand I go a shop that does custom blasting where it is done in a open both end building take some 5 gallon pails pick up for free take it home pour the sand through a window screen save a lot of money. Ray:D Of course I go to the boss and ask first

Unknown

Just a thought - but what do you think of using a similiar 'tent' (possibly a bit larger) as a makeshift paint booth? You could fit a fender or possibly a hood in some of the $40-$50 tents...

A makeshift fan/filter connected to it to provide a positive air flow would keep dust and dirt out...

Do a youtube search for "Paint your own car" and you'll find people painting their car, in the front yard. No cover, no filters, etc, so I guess anything is possible.

rambos_ride

Just a thought - but what do you think of using a similiar 'tent' (possibly a bit larger) as a makeshift paint booth? You could fit a fender or possibly a hood in some of the $40-$50 tents...

A makeshift fan/filter connected to it to provide a positive air flow would keep dust and dirt out...

Unless you get an anti-static tent, you're going to end up with huge amounts of crud in the paint.

Also, tents are not- non-flammable, if you got a flash fire inside one, you're "toast"

Just because idiots spray catalyzed paint without respirators outside in their front yard doesn't mean you should - unless you don't care about the health of yourself, your wife and kids or your neighbors!

37 CTS

How about some sandblasting advise?



I have a small bench top cabinet.

I am using "Ballotini" glass beads.size AD from Potters Industries. No silica.



The beads do a fair job on the rusty stuff I clean. Willing to try something better. Suggestions?



The suction hose to my gun frequently packs up and plugs in the last 5 inches to the gun. I have to stop and shake out the hose and then can go again .

I just put all new media in and it works only slilghtly better. The plugging slows up my work. Suggestions?



Thanks

RL Chilton

rambos_ride wrote:

Unless you get an anti-static tent, you're going to end up with huge amounts of crud in the paint.



Also, tents are not- non-flammable, if you got a flash fire inside one, you're "toast"



Just because idiots spray catalyzed paint without respirators outside in their front yard doesn't mean you should - unless you don't care about the health of yourself, your wife and kids or your neighbors!

For the most part, if you bought professional grade paints, you are spraying with Urethane. Urethanes are extremely toxic. Painting anywhere, even outside is a great hazard to yourself and others. With the modern-day urethane paints and clears, it really behooves to at LEASt paint inside a well-ventilated space, meaning intake and exhaust and YOU wearing a fresh-air supply system that pumps fresh air into your lungs.



Covering the garage with plastic sheeting, hosing down the floor and using temporary lights will work fine, but ventilation for the garage and for yourself is a MUST, IMO.

rambos_ride

37 CTS wrote:

How about some sandblasting advise?

I have a small bench top cabinet.
I am using "Ballotini" glass beads.size AD from Potters Industries. No silica.

The beads do a fair job on the rusty stuff I clean. Willing to try something better. Suggestions?

The suction hose to my gun frequently packs up and plugs in the last 5 inches to the gun. I have to stop and shake out the hose and then can go again .
I just put all new media in and it works only slilghtly better. The plugging slows up my work. Suggestions?

Thanks

You're getting moisture in the airlines and it's contaminating the media, what kind of air compressor and regulator/filter are you using?

37 CTS

I have to admit I have a Sears Compressor, thats just adaquate,

I drain the tank every time before I use it. The regulator is built in and

there is a water seperator. No moisture was present in the separator when I drained it before use.

and it was not humid today. Also the media was dry and in a sealed can when I put it in fresh.

The old media I took out had some dirt in it. I thought that caused some problems but after I put new media in I also switched to a new gun and hose. I have tried all I can think of to rememedy this.

rambos_ride

It doesn't take long for the smaller compressors to start creating moisture in the lines and it doesn't take much moisture to get the media to start clumping up.

Depending on your budget, first get a decent external mounted regulator/ filter, that will give you a target.

Then a copper "still" setup will help cool the air and condensate before it hits the external regulator, with an added downtube as pictured here - will help collect water before it gets to the regulator

This is a setup I had on an oiless compressor - it helped, but once these small things run continuously for 5-10 minutes even this will let moisture past.




Even with my current setup pictured below (which is far superior to the one above If I use my snap-on bead blaster for 20-30 minutes straight it will start to get moisture past the regulator/filter




To remedy this and before I do any painting, I'll drop one of these inline before the copper piping...

Compressed Air Line Dryer



http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=40211

37 CTS

Hello Dan,

Thanks for the info. , and especially the pics. I believe I can make this project work in my shop. I have seen the copper still before , never as neat as this. That big compresssor is impressive, on my someday list.



My wife sends a "pat on the head" to Rambo. She always wants to know what Rambo is doing.

Unknown

37 CTS wrote:

I have to admit I have a Sears Compressor, thats just adaquate,

I drain the tank every time before I use it. The regulator is built in and

there is a water seperator. No moisture was present in the separator when I drained it before use.

and it was not humid today. Also the media was dry and in a sealed can when I put it in fresh.

The old media I took out had some dirt in it. I thought that caused some problems but after I put new media in I also switched to a new gun and hose. I have tried all I can think of to rememedy this.

Dan is probably right, you've got moisture buildup. Down here in the South, some days you just have to pass, because there's so much moisture in the air, you're fighting a loosing battle. I have about the same set-up as Dan, but mine is a lot uglier. 4 water filters, 3 drain traps, and sometimes I have to give up. My most expensive filter is last, and I try to keep an eye on the others, since they have clear bowls. If I see moisture collecting in the 3rd filter, I quit what ever I'm doing, and purge the whole system. Today, I had to do this after about every half-hour of sandblasting. Humidity was 70%. Someone in a dry State, like AZ, wouldn't need half this stuff. My airlines are blue, and they snake through the shop, from floor to ceiling. The little white bags you see are "Moisture absorbing bags". I haul overseas containers, and they put these bags in containers that are loaded with moisture sensitive items, like electronics, and paper. They usually put 8-10 per 40 ft container, and I probably have 200 scattered around my shop. All this, and I still lose the battle sometimes.

Unknown

I know exactly where you are coming from... Here in Maryland, the battle with humidity is non-ending.

I am doing wire brushing, cleaning with solvents, and will be doing some chemical stripping as well - for the time being. I have the moisture packets in my workshop, and in my blasting booth too, just to keep the moisture down to the lowest level possible.

On a side note, I've gotten the vibratory tumbler and some of the green plastic pyramids & have begun my first batch. First thing I've learned is to degrease anything going into the vibratory tumbler, first...

I will most likely go to HarborFreight on Monday and pick up some ceramic media to 'try out'.

Great! What brand, and what size tumbler did you get? Experiment with time limits, and different media, and post the results.

I was able to sandblast in my little tent today till noon, before it got too hot. A couple of more weekends, and all my sandblasting ought to be about done. I did figure out the "LAZY MAN'S" way to sift the used media. I lift the tent, to move the media in a pile to the rear, and use my shop-vac, to vacuum the media, with the screen at the end of the vacuum hose. Sifts the media, as I vacuum, and it keeps the hose from trying to suck up the tent floor..............Am I lazy or what?